This morning they woke up to a covering of snow in Kyoto. It was very cold but the city looked beautiful. And for kids who have spent most of their lives in outback NSW, it was beautiful.
For their last night in Kyoto they found a great restaurant – Gion Karuku BBQ Wagyu Beef. The table was very low and a bit tricky for Mick to navigate, but the set menu they chose included some of the finest beef in the world. They had 7 courses downstairs before heading upstairs for dessert – they all thought it was amazing.
Except for maybe Mick – who would have probably given the restaurant a poor review for its seating provisions. The degree of difficulty of getting up and down was HIGH!! But, well done Mick.
This morning they headed for Takayama – which involved catching two trains – a bullet train (shinkanzen) and a traditional train. It was very windy and freezing when they arrived. The journey took them past Bernie’s old town – where he had spent a year teaching English. They had decided against stopping off there as there was not a lot to see.
They have all been very impressed by the train system in Japan, which I know is famous for this mode of transport. But what has surprised them most is the cleanliness of the trains and the stations.
Takayama is a city in Japan’s mountainous Gifu Prefecture. The narrow streets of its Sanmachi Suji historic district are lined with wooden merchants’ houses dating to the Edo Period, along with many small museums. The city is famous for its biannual Takayama Festival, going back to at least the mid-1600s, celebrating spring and fall with parades featuring ornate, gilded floats and puppet shows.
There was a great deal of surprise, and some angst when the group arrived at their hotel – as it was a traditional room with futons to be used for their beds, after the small table and chair was removed. I look forward to hearing how they go.
Those are the beds in the cupboard. But it looks like they soon made themselves comfortable. And Mick found somewhere ‘suitable’ to sit.
Luckily they were able to find a bar where they could have something to eat for a late lunch.
Mick was thrilled as this bar, more like a hole in the wall, sold ‘mint’ hot dogs, while the beer was just ok. Emma was happy too as she was able to buy herself a shirt at the bar.
For dinner they found a very small Okonomiyaki restuarant that seated only the four of them. They looked pretty happy.
Jane and Mick's Holiday Adventures 